The year of Hakumen no Mono
by senju
Summary: The time is Meiji, the world in chaos and six being stand in the way of a cataclysmic event engulfing not only their homes but the world.


Disclaimer: I do not own Ushio and Tora or anything else that may appear in this story.

It is ten years into the Meiji Era and what was supposed to be a time and peace has turned into a time of fear and dread, as battles against in empire of Yokai had been steadily growing into a full blown war, until a brave warrior came and quelled the fighting.

"It has been twenty years since the fighting ended and today we celebrate the warrior who sent all evil Yokai into hiding, so now we have the festival of the Hokushou taishou or the festival of the champion of the souls, so now you are dismissed." After their class was over the students walked off towards the town until they were stopped by the police who were beating someone up. "Hey old man why did you bump into me you're going to pay me back got it!" As they pushed him down one of them was sent flying into the side of the building and hit the ground. "Hey who was that just n-?" He was then lifted off the ground and was slammed back down. "The rest of you get out of here now." They saw he was calm but was ready to strike, so they just picked up their unconscious friends and slinked away looking back every few yards.

When he made sure they were gone he walked over to the old man. "Hey are you alright, they didn't steal anything." When he looked up the young boy saw darkness in the back of his eyes. "I'm fine thanks to you, if it is all right would you accept a gift of gratitude?" When the young boy nodded the old man took out a necklace and put it right into the boys hand and ran off. When the man was out of sight the boy looked at what was in his hand, it was a necklace, it had four empty slots and had a golden jewel on the bottom of it when he heard a voice. "Ist though strong enough to control me, boy?" He looked around. "Who said that?" All of a sudden he heard a scream coming from the festival grounds. When he got there he saw that there were blood pools all around the ground and when he looked up into the air he saw a shadow flying through the night, when he suddenly heard screams and a girl came running towards him when suddenly the top half of her body disappeared and the voice came back. "Ha ha ha, it looks like Gamin is up to his old feasting habits again." "Would you come out already and who is Gamin." "Hmmm, well I would like to but you haven't called my name yet, do you know me boy?" "No I don't are you going tell me or do I have to guess, my name is Asharoth." The voice suddenly yelled. "If you want to live jump back now!" On instinct he listened to the voice when two heads crashed into the ground right where he was standing moments ago. "You boy, have a nice scent, boy and thank you for leading us to this village." Asharoth was shaken when he heard this statement.

"W-what do you mean that I lead you here?" The heads started to laugh. "You know nothing of who you are do you Asharoth Bachi Sazokora!" Asharoth's rage that he had kept down for years finally came back in a torrent. "Crystal demon, if you can hear my voice I may need your help!" There was no answer when three more heads came to join in. "Now we can all feast on his ripening flesh, gooey innards." A flash of light came out of the jewel and hit one of the heads. "Don't you lay a finger on this boy, he is my food, so boy you will have to deal with me for good now." A smirk went across Asharoth's face. "Fine, you can have my soul, you can have my body, but only if you help me kill these bastards first, Nagatobimaru!" The sky suddenly clouded up and lightning struck Asharoth. "Don't you try to deceive us you wretched boy you have no power against us!" The burnt head suddenly flew at him until he was shredded into pieces. "How did he destroy our brother, it is not possible for a mere human, Charge all at once he can't get to all of us." When the lightning cleared this mere human's black hair had grown down to his knees and turned to gold in mere seconds, his skin had turned to a blazing red fur and his hands and feet to silver claws. "You demons shall be punished and be sent straight to hell!" The heads suddenly charged when Asharoth saw this coming his hands raised above his head where lightning started to collect. "It is time you repent Demons, Static Implosion!" The two closest heads stopped moving and melted into nothingness.

When a head tried to run a wall of fire came erupting out of the ground and melted it into nothingness. "You are the last head do you have any last words?" Would you please let me go, I swear to never eat another person again, please." "Do you really think I would let you go after I've seen what you can do, you monster, Repent in after you leave this world now get out of my sight!" he thrust his claws into the head and ripped until there was a huge gaping hole through the whole head. After the head had disappeared Asharoth's body went back to normal. All of a sudden there was clapping and cheering and when he turned around he saw the remaining villagers had come out to the street." Thank you for your help young one is there anything you would like?" "Well I could use a be-." He suddenly fell to the ground.

When he finally woke up he saw he was in a very well furnished room with white Lotus flowers, samurai armor, and paintings and when he looked to his side he saw Nagatobimaru sitting near him. "It's about time you got up, boy so are you ready to give me my reward for helping you?" "If you so wish to take it now I will hold no ill will towards you." Nagatobimaru started to laugh hysterically. "You are just to much of a riot kid and I like you a lot, so here's the deal you help me take down the other Yokai like gamin and I'll let you live got it, and I can also smell that you have forgotten you memory, is that true." He nodded but then started to laugh. "All right I like you so I don't mind traveling with you and now I believe we must leave." When he got up he heard a commotion downstairs and when he got down the steps the people who were there ran up to him and thanked him for his selfless act. "We heard your speech to the creature sitting behind you when you were out in the street and we would like to give you a parting gift." He then waved to a girl in the back of the room and when she came up she had a cloak made of silk in her hands. "This cloak was made over the course of thirty years by everyone in the village, young and old, it was made for a young person who is ready to give his soul for the sake of people he does not know, we believe you are the one to save our country and bring peace and prosperity back to our land." "No I-I couldn't take such a beautifully made piece away from people who put their hearts and souls into it." Before he could protest more they shove it into his hands and sent him on his way.

After Asharoth was outside of the village and on his way Nagatobimaru stopped him. "So where are we going now, hmm." "Well they did say that an evil spirit called the Hidatsa lives in a swamp to the far west of here so I thought we could start there and maybe find out who I am." After two days of walking they got to a town named Kindo Gorzen in the west and Asharoth stopped to take a rest. "Hello there lad, are you looking for something in this town, like your memory?" Nagatobimaru suddenly piped up. "Boy it is time we move on fast I sense danger from them, inhuman danger." Suddenly vines came whipping out of the trees and bound him to a tree. "We finally get to eat a human with such enormous spirit, what is your name boy?" "My name is Asharoth Bachi Sazokora, are you the Hidatsu demon terrorizing the swamps?" A shudder ran through the vines. "You are that cursed one's wretched offspring, now we will kill you no matter what with out haste. We will eat every piece of flesh form your bone's and drain out every ounce of fluid from your veins!" A figure then came charging out of the brush. "So you are the true Hidatsu, are you then I am prepared to face you." "I know not of whom you speak, I don't know anything about myself or my life."

Asharoth only saw his enemies horn when all of a sudden the Hidatsu fell apart into four separate pieces and the vines fell to dust. "Boy… i…have one final… request. You must… defeat the Byakko who is being controlled by an evil spirit… and if you are telling the truth… you may learn of part of your past." The Hidatsu's body then disintegrated and blew away in the wind leaving only a mask which Asharoth picked up. "If it is for an honorable death wish such as that I can only agree, for you and all of the Yokai of the swamp I will destroy the Byakko, are you coming Nagatobimaru." As they got out of the town it disappeared and he sunk down into swamp water. When they were about two miles west when Asharoth felt a rush of cold air and saw the figure of a white tiger lunge past him and his arm was suddenly sliced open and he fell to the ground in pain. "_You annoying little whelp what are you doing in domain?_" "A-are you the Byakko that is terrorizing this area and the Yokai who live here?" "_How do you know of me and why are you here_?" Asharoth got a smile on his face. "Looks like my guess was correct, so now I will take you down and set this area straight!" His arm was suddenly completely healed and he charged full force at the Byakko. "_Foolish child you cannot win with brute force alone._" The Byakko's claw lashed out and Asharoth side stepped just in time to miss the claws and the pressurized blast of air that when he looked back turned a tree to splinters. "Nagatobimaru it's time to use our full power don't you agree?" When the lightning hit Asharoth he was only partially transformed when the Byakko came and ripped his arm off.

After a fight of an hour and a half Asharoth fell to the ground covered in blood and to worn out to do anything. "You have fought well child but it is now time to die." The Byakko only lifted his claws and lunged until he fell back and hit the ground hard, when Asharoth looked up he saw Nagatobimaru standing there. "You will not touch him, I am haunting him and he is my food!" While Asharoth could only laugh the Byakko was disintegrating and turning into dust. "_Boy will you come and listen to an old tiger's request_?" Asharoth nodded. "_If you can you must defeat Hakumen no Mono, it is a shape shifting demon that is destroying us all so as a favor to me will you gather the North, south and east guardians to destroy him." _When the Byakko Disappeared all that was left was a silver topaz jewel and when Asharoth picked it up memories came flooding into his head which he somehow he knew they were his. "Well Asharoth what is our next move, huh?" "You heard our new companion we have to get the other guardians and destroy Hakumen no Mono, so we shall start in the south." As they set off for the south a pile of pitch black ooze started to crawl towards the north.


End file.
